Rating: 
Summary: The Good Girl???
Review: A bored married woman makes one enormous mistake and her entire life spirals out of control. Each time she does something to cover up the affair, she creates a bigger and bigger mess. Each time she tries to get out of the affair, it gets a little worse and a little harder to do. The emotions run high, and the characters are ridiculously simple-minded. Though the concept for this movie was good, it was quite unintelligent and weak.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the movie I thought it was....
Review: When you hear the buzz about Jennifer Aniston's performance in "The Good Girl", you just expect that the vehicle will be worthwhile, as well. Both assumptions are a mistake.
The "buzz" is about Jennifer playing against type; not only non-comedic, non-romantic, but also non-interesting. I've never been able to recognize why Jennifer would be any better or more deserving of an Emmy than the other two women "Friends", and this role does not change my mind about her. Hollywood wants to make her a star, an award-winner; it's not about the talent or the choices she makes, it's just about the golden image.
She's fine in "The Good Girl". Yup, you can believe that Justine is quietly desperate to end a dull marriage to a pothead and a dead-end job. What you can't believe is how she ever got herself in the position she's in, in the first place. Justine seems to accept all the lackluster characters around her, from her co-workers ("the Bible Study guy", Gwen the optimist, and the strange young girl who takes Gwen's place and performs acts of cosmetic terror behind the makeup counter) to the man she married, (the capable John C. Reilly, who has exactly "0" chemistry with Miss Aniston) to his odd little pothead friend (Tim Blake Nelson as Bubba). No attempt to flesh out her character or attitude by understanding her childhood is made here.
It is believable that she would begin an affair with someone different, Tom, (he likes to call himself Holden), a young, troubled and aimless ex-alcoholic from town, who still lives with his mom and dad. Jake Gyllenhaal is the object of her affections, but frankly, there's no chemistry in this relationship, either.
What is impossible to understand is why she would choose such a moody young thing, and callously and quickly determine to end the relationship when she finally, finally recognizes what a child he is. Impossible to believe how she could dump her friend Gwen with a life threatening illness at the door of a hospital, and never go back. Or, how she could possibly make such a deal with the devil (Bubba) when he explains to her WHY he needs to sleep with her.
Why is it called "The Good Girl"? There's nothing good about Justine, including Aniston's accent...really a waste of 90 minutes of your time.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe this movie.....
Review: Jennifer Aniston (Friends) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) I figured that this movie couldn't go wrong.....
Boy was I wrong. Movie was slow moving, bland plot, predictable results, and did nothing to keep your interest. These two actors' performances were good, but could never be enough to save the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie-Brilliant Actress
Review: This new type of vehicle for Jennifer Aniston- a serious movie- brought out the best in this actress. From the minute she first appears on the screen, she brilliantly conveys the monotony of Justine's life, married to a pot-smoking loser and working in a boring dead-end job at Retail Rodeo. Aniston's facial expressions and even her posture contribute to the overall picture of the never-ending sameness of her character's life. "The Good Girl" is a terrific character study. We see a young woman trapped in a life that she has fallen into....we just know that she married Phil out of sheer inertia many years ago and that nothing has changed since. Justine is living a life of "quiet desperation" when she encounters Holden and they are drawn to each other. The viewer knows right away, as I think Justine does also, that no good can come of this, but she ventures forth anyway. What follows is a movie that does not follow all the rules and is anything but routine. Good viewing!
Rating: 
Summary: 3.5, maybe...
Review: A cotton-candy-ish film that gets a big rise while it's underway, but vanishes like a wisp the moment it's over. I thought that Jennifer Aniston, playing a white trash gal trapped in her numbingly shabby small-town life, did a good job breaking away from her well-known role as Rachael, on TV's Friends. I also enjoyed her supporting cast as well, particularly John C. Reilly as her clueless but well-meaning stoner husband, and I got all wrapped up in knots as the plot got ickier and more uncomfortable. But the resolution was skillful and nuanced only by Hollywood's standards, and the emotional coil-up dissipates almost instantaneously. Even while the film gives a glimpse into middle America which is pretty close to the mark, it's also condescending and in many regards heartless. I suppose that's the point: Aniston's is an antiheroic role, and the film gains points by creating a new set of easy answers that run counter to the same-old movie cliches, but which have the same general impact on its audience. This was OK, but not great.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worst I've seen
Review: I've seen better movies about adultry on Lifetime newtork that were made for TV. If you wanna see a movie about a bored wife looking for excitement, I'd even recommend "Desperately Seeking Susan" over this. In a nutshell, just a lame, boring, depressing movie. It portrays Southerners as lazy, irreponsible, and un-hip. Lots of stereotypes in this movie. The performances are weak, none of the actors have the ability to carry this movie. If you wanna see a movie with that Southern charm and hospitality feel, I'd suggest "Where The Heart Is", "Doc Hollywood", or "Bull Durham".
Rating:
Summary: You probably have better ways to spend two hours.
Review: A lurking cynicism behind the portrayals of these characters, trapped as they are by their droll and inane lives, almost manifests itself here as comedy. The dubious choices these unsypathetic characters make in their lives result in very little emotional engagement for the audience. Mainly, I was wondering how this movie was made in the first place and why otherwise talented people would dedicate their time to completing it. There are only two good points (one for each star): 1) Aniston shows more of an acting range than expected in her portrayal, and 2) the characters and their situations are all but guaranteed to make everyone else feel better about their own lives, by comparison. I would only recommend this to a friend going through a serious funk in order to show them that as bad as their job, marriage, abuse problems, affairs, etc. might be...
Rating:
Summary: touching and heart warming
Review: I think we've gotten so used to Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel Green on "Friends" that many people didn't give "The Good Girl" a chance when it was released. Big mistake, because Aniston is remarkable. As Justine Last, a bored employee at the Retail Rodeo, Aniston is simply remarkable, embracing the spirit of a small town girl in all its glory. As her depressed lover, Jake Gyllenhaal is also good, making us root for him while at the same time asking, "what is the matter with him?" Writer Mike White's script is thoughtful and full of sharp dialogue, and director Miguel Artera keeps the story flowing while allowing the actors to fully develop their characters. For everyone involved- WELL DONE!!!
Rating:
Summary: A real sleeper!!!!
Review: This movie has to be one of the worst I have purchased. The laughs are minimal and the movie just drags. If you want something real laid back to put you to sleep, here is your movie. Very dissapointing!!!
Rating:
Summary: Leaves you not knowing what to think
Review: Jennifer Aniston does a surprisingly good job at portraying Justine, the fed-up Retail Rodeo employee who begins an elicit affair with Holden, a co-worker 8 years her junior. I find it funny that one of the reviewers thought of this movie as a "comedy". The dialogue is humorous at times, but I think this story has a lot more to it than meets the eye. Justine sees her life as a prison, as does Holden. He swings open the door of curiosity in her life that makes her wonder if there's more for her in the world. Yet, the "good girl" mentality she holds throughout the movie obligates her to deny her feelings for Holden and stick with her pot-smoking, impotent husband. As you watch, you at first root for Holden and Justine. You want them to escape their small town and find out what life holds for them. Then you start feeling like that isn't right either; Holden is, after all, only 22...and a depressed, rather mentally disturbed 22 at that. Justine sees in him a possibility, but still a bleak possibility. This leads to a battle of motivations: do you stick with the life you are familiar with and is socially acceptable, even if you're depressed out of your mind, or do you escape into a life more exciting that could very well be as bad or even worse? This is what makes me not know what to think. Justine obviously has personal issues she needs to work out, but she sees her answers in other people and not in herself. This makes her a sympathetic character, but you hate her all at the same time. The story is very well-conceived, and the actors do a marvelous job portraying Justine's equally-dysfunctional co-workers, family, and friends. The deleted scenes on the DVD are funny, and some would have been helpful to explain some of the progression in the story. However, the movie is mysteriously captivating on its own, and I think Aniston should be recognized for this gross departure from her flaky counterpart on "Friends".
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